Members pledge billions to Gaza relief package at first Board of Peace meeting
President Donald Trump announced at the inaugural Board of Peace meeting that nine members of the body have agreed to pledge 7 billion dollars towards a Gaza relief package and that five countries have agreed to deploy troops to take part in an international stabilisation force to the war-battered Palestinian territory.
Indonesia, Morocco, Kazakhstan, Kosovo and Albania have pledged to send troops for a Gaza stabilisation force, while Egypt and Jordan have committed to train police for the efforts.
Troops will initially be deployed to Rafah, a major population centre where the US administration hopes to first focus reconstruction efforts.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan and Kuwait are the countries that are making pledges, Mr Trump said.
“Every dollar spent is an investment in stability and the hope of new and harmonious (region),” said Mr Trump in thanking the donors.
He added, “The Board of Peace is showing how a better future can be built right here in this room.”
The dollars pledged, while significant, represent a fraction of the estimated 70 billion dollars needed to rebuild the Palestinian territory decimated after two years of war.
Mr Trump also announced the US was pledging 10 billion dollars for the Board of Peace, but did not specify what the money would be used for.
Major General Jasper Jeffers, the leader of the newly-created International Stabilisation Force, said the plans call for 12,000 police and 20,000 soldiers for Gaza.
“With these first steps, we help bring the security that Gaza needs for a future of prosperity and enduring peace,” Maj Gen Jeffers said.
The board was initiated as part of Mr Trump’s 20-point peace plan to end the conflict in Gaza.
But since the October ceasefire, the president’s vision for the board has morphed and he wants it to have an even more ambitious remit — one that will not only complete the Herculean task of bringing lasting peace between Israel and Hamas but will also help resolve conflicts around the globe.
But the Gaza ceasefire deal remains fragile and Mr Trump’s expanded vision for it has triggered fears that the US president is looking to create a rival to the United Nations.
Mr Trump, pushing back against the criticism, said the creation of his board would help make the UN viable in the future.
“Someday I won’t be here. The United Nations will be,” Mr Trump said.
“I think it is going to be much stronger, and the Board of Peace is going to almost be looking over the United Nations and making sure it runs properly.”
Most countries sent high-level officials, but a few leaders – including Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, Argentine President Javier Milei and Hungarian President Viktor Orban – travelled to Washington for the gathering.
More than 40 countries and the European Union confirmed they were sending officials to Thursday’s meeting.
Germany, Italy, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom are among more than a dozen countries that have not joined the board but are taking part as observers.
“Almost everybody’s accepted, and the ones that haven’t, will be,” Mr Trump predicted. “And some are playing a little cute – it doesn’t work. You can’t play cute with me.”
The UN Security Council held a high-level meeting on Wednesday on the ceasefire deal and Israel’s efforts to expand control in the West Bank.
The UN session in New York was originally scheduled for Thursday but was moved up after Mr Trump announced the board’s meeting for the same date, and it became clear that it would complicate travel plans for diplomats planning to attend both.
Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin told reporters earlier this week that “at the international level, it should above all be the UN that manages these crisis situations”.
The Trump administration on Wednesday pushed back on the Vatican’s concerns.
Central to Thursday’s discussions was creating an armed international stabilisation force to keep security and ensure the disarmament of the militant Hamas group, a key demand of Israel and a cornerstone of the ceasefire deal.
Hamas has provided little confidence that it is willing to move forward on disarmament.
The administration is “under no illusions on the challenges regarding demilitarisation” but has been encouraged by what mediators have reported back, according to a US official.
“We have a long way to go,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in remarks to the gathering.
“There’s a lot of work that remains that will require the contribution of every nation-state represented here today.”
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